How can I upload my own image as a background image and texture to a 2D animation in Blender 2.8?
The process is relatively straight forward, but can be made easier by enabling a built in add-on for blender called &quot;Images as planes&quot;. Go to User Preferences &gt; Addons and search in the box for images - only one result should pop up -&quot;Import/Export: Import Images as Planes&quot;. Check the box and exit user preferences.

Hover your mouse over the viewport you are using and press Shift + A. Select image and then image as plane. A box will pop up letting you select you photo from your PC. Pick the image you want. If instead, you are looking to use a background image, pick &quot;Background&quot;, the rest is the same.

Lastly, to see the image, select one of the rendered mode tabs - either Material Preview or Rendered Preview.

This is the 3D viewport in the 2D animation tab. To add an image you have to be in object mode. But what happens when you press shift+a, are you saying nothing happens? If so, have you changed any of your shortcuts/hotkeys? You can also access it from the menu at the top. See image: